Packaging Assembly for Solar Cover for Swimming Pool

ABSTRACT

A packaging assembly for a large item such as a solar pool cover in an exemplary embodiment utilizes a shrink-wrap packaging material. The packaging material may be formed of a polyolefin material, and may have a thickness of about 1.0-2.5 mils. The packaged item, such as a solar cover, may be formed at least partially of polyethylene. Additionally, the solar cover may be rolled into a roll having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical diameter of at least about 30 inches and a cylindrical width of at least about 48 inches. Other items of similar size may be packaged using the packaging assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/358,712, filed Jun. 25, 2010, which application isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety and made part hereof.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a packaging system for alarge item and more particularly to a packaging assembly for a solarcover utilizing a shrink-wrap material over the solar cover.

BACKGROUND

Items shipped in commerce commonly use some type of packaging such ascardboard boxes or plastic bags. The packaging serves to protect theitems prior to being removed by the end-user. One type of item shippedin commerce is a swimming pool cover, such as a solar swimming poolcover. A solar swimming pool cover may also be referred to as a solarblanket or solar cover. The solar covers are typically formed frompolymeric materials, such as a polyethylene-based material. The solarcovers are large members dimensioned to be positioned over an entireswimming pool, which can be of significant size. Because of their largesize and the material construction, solar covers are typically shippedin large, rigid cardboard boxes to sufficiently protect the solar coverduring shipping. Such packaging containers, however, are bulky andexpensive. Shrink wrap materials have not previously been used as apackaging option because of the size of the solar cover as well as thematerial construction of the solar cover.

Thus, while packaging assemblies for large items such as solar coversfor swimming pools according to the prior art provide a number ofadvantageous features, they nevertheless have certain limitations. Thepresent invention seeks to overcome certain of these limitations andother drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new features notheretofore available.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention provides a packaging assembly for a large item. Inone exemplary embodiment, the large item is a solar blanket used tocover swimming pools and the packaging assembly includes a shrink-wrapmaterial.

Aspects of the invention relate to a packaging assembly that includes asolar pool cover including a generally planar sheet that is rolled toform a roll, and a polymeric packaging material shrink-wrapped aroundthe roll. According to one aspect, the roll is cylindrical in shape andmay have a cylindrical diameter of at least about 30 inches and acylindrical width of at least about 48 inches, or may have a cylindricaldiameter of at least about 6 inches and a cylindrical width of at leastabout 36 inches.

According to another aspect, the cover is formed at least partially of afirst polymer material, and the packaging material is formed of a secondpolymer material. The second polymer material of the packaging materialcontacts the first polymer material of the cover when the packagingmaterial is shrink-wrapped around the roll. In one embodiment, the coveris formed at least partially of a polyolefin-based material, and thepackaging material is formed of a polyolefin-based material, such thatthe polyolefin material of the packaging material contacts thepolyolefin-based material of the cover. The polyolefin-based materialsof the cover and/or the packaging material may be or includepolyethylene and/or polypropylene.

According to a further aspect, the packaging material has a thickness ofabout 1.0-2.5 mils (i.e. 0.001″ to 0.0025″).

According to a still further aspect, the solar pool cover may include agenerally planar sheet formed at least partially of a polyethylene-basedmaterial, the cover being rolled to form a roll having a cylindricalshape with a cylindrical diameter of at least about 30 inches and acylindrical width of at least about 48 inches. The packaging materialmay be a polyolefin-based packaging material shrink-wrapped around theroll, with the packaging material having a thickness of between about1.0-2.5 mils. The packaging material contacts the polyethylene-basedmaterial of the cover when the packaging material is shrink-wrappedaround the cover.

According to additional aspects of the invention, the a packagingassembly may be used for a packaged item other than a solar cover. Forexample, the packaging assembly may be used with an item formed at leastprimarily of a polyolefin-based material and having an outer surfaceformed at least partially of the polyolefin-based material. Apolyolefin-based packaging material can be shrink-wrapped around theitem, wherein the packaging material contacts the polyolefin-basedmaterial of the outer surface of the item. The polyolefin-basedmaterials of the cover and/or the packaging material may be or includepolyethylene. The item may also have a relatively large size, such as anitem having a first dimension measuring at least about 6 inches andsecond dimension measuring at least about 36 inches.

According to one aspect, the item has a generally cylindrical shape,where the first dimension is a cylindrical diameter of the cylindricalshape and the second dimension is a cylindrical width of the cylindricalshape.

Further aspects of the invention relate to a packaging material for usein packaging assemblies and processes. The packaging material mayinclude a film of polymer material configured to be shrink-wrappedaround a solar pool cover that includes a generally planar sheet rolledto form a cylindrical roll. The film of polymer material has a thicknessof between about 1.0-2.5 mils (i.e. 0.001″ to 0.0025″). The film ofpolymer material may be formed of a polyolefin-based material, such as apolyethylene-based and/or polypropylene-based material.

According to one aspect, the packaging material is configured to beshrink-wrapped around the pool cover having a cylindrical shape with acylindrical diameter of at least about 30 inches and a cylindrical widthof at least about 48 inches.

According to another aspect, the film of polymer material is configuredto be shrink-wrapped around the pool cover, where the pool cover isformed at least partially of a polyethylene material, and the film ofpolymer material is configured to contact the polyethylene-basedmaterial of the pool cover after being shrink-wrapped.

According to a further aspect, the film of polymer material is formed ofa substantially transparent material.

Still further aspects of the invention relate to a method for packagingan item as described above, including shrink-wrapping the item with apackaging material. The shrink wrapping process may include preparingthe item for shrink-wrapping, and then wrapping the item in thepackaging material. The packaging material can then be sealed to form acocoon around the item to form a sealed packaging assembly. Thepackaging material can then be shrink-wrapped, such as by passing thepackaged item through a heat tunnel on a conveyor or similar device.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. The Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a solar pool cover for use in oneembodiment of a packaging assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a packaging material being wrappedaround the solar pool cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the packaging material and the solarpool cover of FIG. 2 after a sealing process has been performed;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a packaging assembly including thepackaging material and the solar pool cover of FIG. 3, aftershrink-wrapping of the packaging material;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the packaging material and the solar pool coverof FIG. 6;

FIG. 7A is a magnified view showing area 7A in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the packaging material and the solar pool coverof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A is a magnified view showing area 8A in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a solar poolcover; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a heat tunnel for shrink-wrapping apackaging material to form a packaging assembly according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described indetail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

The present invention relates generally to a packaging assembly forlarge items or articles, as well as packaging materials and methods foruse in such packaging assemblies. Referring now in detail to theFigures, FIGS. 1-8A illustrate a packaging assembly according to anembodiment of the present invention, generally referred to with thereference numeral 10. The packaging assembly shown generally includes anitem 12 that is packaged in a packaging material 14, also referred to asan overwrap or wrapping material. In the exemplary embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1-8A, the packaged item 12 is a rolled solarswimming pool cover 11, however in other embodiments, other types ofitems may be packaged, as described below. Such a solar cover 11 is agenerally planar sheet that can be spread to cover a swimming pool orsimilar structure, such as shown in FIG. 5, and may be rolled into acylindrical, elongated roll for packaging, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-8A.

One example of a solar cover 11 is shown in FIG. 9, and may includeseveral layers of one or more polymer materials, such as apolyethylene-based material or another polyolefin-based material, asdescribed above. As used herein, a material is “based” on a polymer(e.g., polyolefin-based, polyethylene-based, etc.) if the named polymermakes up more than 50% of the material or is otherwise the mostprevalent component in the material. The solar cover 11 may additionallyor alternately include a different type of material in anotherembodiment, such as polyvinyl chloride. In this general embodiment, thesolar cover 11 has a transparent or translucent front layer 32 that isformed into a cellular or chambered structure that contains and/orencapsulates air, and a transparent or translucent back layer 36, whichcombines with the cellular structure of the front layer 32 to define aplurality of air bubbles or pockets 34. The transparent or translucentlayers 32, 36 may be colorless or clear blue, or may have another visualappearance. The solar cover 11 may contain additional layers as well,such as an opaque layer that may be absorptive and/or reflective, and itis understood that different layers of the solar cover 11 may be formedof different materials.

In one embodiment, the packaged item 12 may be formed primarily or atleast partially by a plastic or other polymer material, for example, apolyolefin-based material such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Atleast a portion of the outer surface 16 of the item 12 may be formed bysuch polymer material, and in one embodiment, the outer surface 16 ofthe item 12 may be primarily or entirely formed by such polymermaterial. Additionally, in one embodiment, the packaging material 14 maybe at least partially formed of the same or a similar polymer materialas the packaged item 12, and the packaging material 14 may be in contactwith the portion(s) of the outer surface 16 of the item 12 formed of thepolymer material. A solar cover, such as the solar cover 11 illustratedin FIGS. 1-8A, may be formed wholly or partially of a polyethylene-basedmaterial, and in this exemplary embodiment, the packaging material 14 isformed of one or more polyolefin-based materials. In furtherembodiments, items 12 and packaging materials 14 formed of differentmaterials may be used, including other types of polymers, such as otherpolyolefins or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

In another embodiment, the packaged item 12 may be large in size,relative to items that are typically packaged using shrink-wrappackaging or similar packaging materials. For example, in oneembodiment, the packaged item 12 may have at least one dimension(length, width, or height) that is at least about 30 inches, and mayhave at least one other dimension that is at least about 48 inches. Inanother embodiment, the packaged item may have at least one dimensionthat is at least about 6 inches and another dimension that is at leastabout 36 inches. In a further embodiment, the packaged item may have atleast one dimension that is from about 6-30 inches and another dimensionthat is from about 36-50 inches. As another example, the packaged itemmay have a volume of at least about 30,000 cubic inches in oneembodiment, at least about 1,000 cubic inches in another embodiment, andfrom about 1,000 to about 35,000 cubic inches in a further embodiment.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-8A, the item 12 is a solarcover that is generally rolled into an elongated, cylindrically-shapedroll having a cylindrical diameter of at least about 30 inches and acylindrical length of at least about 48 inches. In another embodiment,the rolled solar cover 11 may have a cylindrical diameter of at leastabout 6 inches and a cylindrical length of at least about 36 inches. Ina further embodiment, the rolled solar cover 11 may have a cylindricaldiameter of from about 6-30 inches and a cylindrical length of fromabout 36-50 inches. In further embodiments, items 12 of different sizesmay be packaged as described herein, including other types of generallyplanar/sheet items rolled into cylindrical, elongated rolls. It isunderstood that the packaging assembly 10 may include a solar cover 11in a non-rolled form, such as a flat or folded form, packaged using thepackaging material 14.

The packaging material 14 is generally a polymer film material that isshrink-wrapped around the packaged item 12 to form the packagingassembly 10. As described above, the packaging material 14 may formed ofone or more polyolefin-based materials, such as polyethylene and/orpolypropylene, and may include a polyolefin material blended withanother type of polymer material, such as various copolymers.Additionally, the film may be a single-layer film or a multi-layer film.In one embodiment, the film may be a multi-layer film formed of a numberof different materials, including polyethylene as well as one or morecopolymers such as ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene butylene, ethylenepropylene, etc. In other embodiments, the packaging material 14 may beformed of any polymer material(s) that may be shrink-wrapped, such asother polyolefin-based materials, PVC, etc. The packaging material 14may be made from a transparent or substantially transparent material, inorder to provide visibility to the item 12. Additionally, in oneembodiment, the thickness of the packaging material 14 is about 1.0-2.5mils (i.e. 0.001″ to 0.0025″). In another embodiment, the thickness ofthe packaging material 14 is about 150-200 gauge (1.5-2.0 mils or0.0015″ to 0.002″). In a further embodiment, the thickness of thepackaging material 14 may be about 4-6 mils (i.e. 0.004″ to 0.006″). Asdescribed below, the thickness of the packaging material 14 may beadjusted according to processing factors, to help prevent theshrink-wrap from melting together with the packaged item 12.

The item 12 can be packaged in the packaging material 14 by ashrink-wrapping process, an exemplary embodiment of which is shown inFIGS. 1-8A with respect to a solar cover 11 rolled to form the packageditem 12, as described above. The solar cover 11 is prepared forpackaging, including rolling the generally planar solar cover 11 intothe rolled form, as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, a strap or tie may beplaced around the cover 11 before wrapping, to stop the cover 11 fromunrolling. After the item 12 is prepared for packaging, the packagingmaterial 14 is wrapped around the item 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2.This may be performed by hand or by a machine. Other articles may beplaced inside the packaging material in addition to the item 12, such aslabeling, product information, etc. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the packagingmaterial 14 is wrapped to cover all sides and surfaces of the item 12.The packaging material 14 may then be sealed to form a sealed cocoon 18to enclose the item 12, as also illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. The sealingmay be accomplished by hot sealing, such as using a sealer tool, to forma sealed seam 20, which includes an end seam 22 and two side seams 24.

The packaging material 14 can then be shrink-wrapped around the item 12to create the packaging assembly 10, as shown in FIGS. 6-8A. Theshrink-wrapping process is described below in greater detail. It isunderstood that the sealing and shrink-wrapping may be performedtogether and/or in a single step in one embodiment. Aftershrink-wrapping, the packaging material 14 is more tightly wrappedaround the item 12, and the packaging material 14 is in contact with atleast a portion of the outer surface 16 of the item 12, as describedabove. Further, in one embodiment, where at least a portion of the outersurface 16 of the item 12 includes a polyethylene-based or otherpolyolefin-based material, the packaging material 14 contacts thepolyolefin-based material of the item 12. As shown in FIGS. 6-8A,although at least a portion of the packaging material 14 may be incontact with the item 12, no portion of the item 12 is bonded or meltedto the packaging material 14 or the seam 20 after sealing andheat-shrinking, and the entire packaging material 14 is separate andseparable from the item 12.

The shrink-wrapping process generally includes the application of heatto the packaging material 14, such as through passing the productthrough a heated tunnel or chamber, or other techniques, such as byusing a hand held heat gun. The parameters of the shrink-wrappingprocess and apparatus are described in greater detail below. In oneembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the shrink-wrapping is performedby passing the sealed cocoon 18 containing the item 12 enclosed bypackaging material 14 through an apparatus 38 that includes a sealingapparatus 40 and a heated tunnel 48, by use of one or more conveyors 42or similar device(s). Although the conveyor 42 is shown schematically asa series of rollers, various other types of conveyors 42 may be used,including belts and various types of devices that are capable ofcarrying the item 12. The apparatus 38 may also include a device 43 forcontrolling airflow through the tunnel 48. As illustrated schematicallyin FIG. 10, the item 12 is wrapped in the packaging material 14 andmoved into the sealing apparatus 40, which seals the edges and ends ofthe packaging material 14, forming the sealed cocoon 18. The cocoon 18containing the item 12 wrapped in packaging material 14 is then movedinto the entrance end 44 of the tunnel 48, and the packaging material 14is heat-shrunk within the tunnel 48 to form the wrapped packagingassembly 10, which exits from the exit end 46 of the tunnel 48. Thetemperature applied to the packaging material 14, the velocity of theconveyor 42 within the heat tunnel 48, the timing of the heating andcooling within the tunnel 48, the airflow within the tunnel 48, andother parameters of the shrink-wrapping process can be controlled oradjusted based on the nature (materials, size, shape, etc.) of the item12 and/or the thickness and material makeup of the packaging material14. Additionally, the thickness of the packaging material 14 and/or thetype or material makeup of the packaging material 14 can also becontrolled or adjusted based on the nature of the item 12 and/or theparameters of the shrink-wrapping process.

For example, in one embodiment for shrink-wrapping a polyethylene-basedsolar cover 11 with a polyolefin-based packaging material 14, thetemperature in the tunnel 48 may be from 260° F. to 330° F., with nospot in the tunnel 48 exceeding 330° F. In this embodiment, the conveyor42 is moved at a velocity so that the cover 11 travels completelythrough the tunnel 48 in no more than 20 seconds. High air velocitywithin the tunnel may also be used to assure proper shrink-wrapping. Inother embodiments, different parameters may be used, such as wheredifferent items and/or packaging materials, having different sizesand/or made of different materials, are used.

The packaging assembly, packaging materials, and packaging process ofthe present invention provide benefits over prior art packagingassemblies, materials, and processes. The present packaging assemblyallows items such as a solar pool cover to be shipped in ashrink-wrapped over-packaging, which is smaller, lighter, and lessexpensive than the bulky, more expensive cardboard boxes and heavy gaugeplastic bags in which solar covers are typically packaged. Additionally,the packaging material has sufficient strength to protect the solarcover during shipping, due to its material composition and thickness.The packaged solar cover can more easily be shipped by traditionalpackage carriers, offering more cost-effective shipping. Further, thehigh-clarity shrink-wrapped packaging offers a better and cleanerlooking, retail-like packaging appearance, with greater flexibility oncustom labeling. Still further, the shrink-wrap packaging material has asuitable melt temperature so the solar cover is not melted during theshrink-wrapping process.

While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described,numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing fromthe spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limitedby the scope of the accompanying Claims.

1. A packaging assembly comprising: a solar pool cover comprising agenerally planar sheet that is rolled to form a roll; and a polymericpackaging material shrink-wrapped around the roll.
 2. The packagingassembly of claim 1, wherein the roll is cylindrical in shape and has acylindrical diameter of about 30 inches and a cylindrical width of about48 inches.
 3. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the roll iscylindrical in shape and has a cylindrical diameter of at least about 6inches and a cylindrical width of at least about 36 inches.
 4. Thepackaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the roll is cylindrical in shapeand has a cylindrical diameter of about 6-30 inches and a cylindricalwidth of about 36-50 inches.
 5. The packaging assembly of claim 1,wherein the cover is formed at least partially of a first polymermaterial, and the packaging material is formed of a second polymermaterial, wherein the second polymer material of the packaging materialcontacts the first polymer material of the cover.
 6. The packagingassembly of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed at least partially of apolyolefin-based material, and the packaging material is formed of apolyolefin-based material, wherein the polyolefin-based material of thepackaging material contacts the polyolefin-based material of the cover.7. The packaging assembly of claim 6, wherein the polyolefin-basedmaterial of the cover is a polyethylene-based material.
 8. The packagingassembly of claim 6, wherein the polyolefin-based material of thepackaging material comprises at least one of polyethylene andpolypropylene.
 9. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein thepackaging material has a thickness of about 1.0-2.5 mils.
 10. Apackaging material comprising: a film of polymer material configured tobe shrink-wrapped around a solar pool cover, wherein the film of polymermaterial has a thickness of between about 1.0 mil and about 2.5 mils.11. The packaging material of claim 10, wherein the packaging materialis configured to be shrink-wrapped around the pool cover having acylindrical shape with a cylindrical diameter of about 30 inches and acylindrical width of about 48 inches.
 12. The packaging material ofclaim 10, wherein the packaging material is configured to beshrink-wrapped around the pool cover having a cylindrical shape with acylindrical diameter of at least about 6 inches and a cylindrical widthof at least about 36 inches.
 13. The packaging material of claim 10,wherein the packaging material is configured to be shrink-wrapped aroundthe pool cover having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical diameter ofabout 6-30 inches and a cylindrical width of about 36-50 inches.
 14. Thepackaging material of claim 10, wherein the film of polymer material isformed of a polyolefin-based material.
 15. The packaging material ofclaim 14, wherein the polyolefin-based material of the packagingmaterial comprises at least one of polyethylene and polypropylene. 16.The packaging material of claim 10, wherein the film of polymer materialis configured to be shrink-wrapped around the pool cover where the poolcover is formed at least partially of a polyethylene material, whereinthe film of polymer material is configured to contact the polyethylenematerial of the pool cover after being shrink-wrapped.
 17. The packagingmaterial of claim 10, wherein the film of polymer material is formed ofa substantially transparent material.
 18. A packaging assemblycomprising: a solar pool cover comprising a generally planar sheetformed at least partially of a polyethylene-based material, the coverbeing rolled to form a roll having a cylindrical shape with acylindrical diameter of about 6-30 inches and a cylindrical width ofabout 36-50 inches; and a polyolefin-based packaging materialshrink-wrapped around the roll, the packaging material having athickness of between about 1.0-2.5 mils, wherein the packaging materialcontacts the polyethylene-based material of the cover.
 19. The packagingassembly of claim 18, wherein the packaging material comprises at leastone of polyethylene and polypropylene.